Kelly Slater may be retiring from professional surfing, but don't count him out of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
Slater, an 11-time world champion, said he plans to retire from the sport next year but is intrigued about competing for the sports' Olympic debut.
“My basic plan is to get myself really healthy, again, get ready for April next year, and next year be my last year on [the World Surf League] tour and just be done with it,” Slater said, via NBC Sports .
Slater said he was "50-50" on competing in an Olympic run, but added: “If I make the team, I’ll compete."
For Slater to compete in the Olympics, he has to be one of the top two men in the 2019 World Surf League standings. So even if Slater retires in 2019, if he is No. 1 or No. 2, he can still participate in Tokyo.
Slater, 46, is ranked third among Americans for 2016 after he missed several competitions with a broken foot.